MMQB.com was embedded with the ESPN reporter for 24 hours on his busiest day of the year, the start of NFL free agency. The behind-the-scenes look offers an insightful glance into what it takes for Schefter to stay atop his business: months of hard work paying off in one pressure-packed day.

Schefter spends 19 straight hours glued to his phone — phones, rather — tweeting, texting, talking with agents, team sources and even players. He is so devoted to the phones — there’s two in case one runs out of battery — that an ESPN producer no longer allows him to drive, using a hired driver or member of ESPN security to escort him to Bristol. He sometimes has to be warned when a flight of stairs are approaching, otherwise he would run right into them. (That feels like a lesson he learned the hard way).

“Let’s see who’s going to call back,” Schefter told the website in the early morning. “Someone is going to call back. Usually the people that are calling back, they want answers, because they’re involved in something. So now you’re involved in something.”

At one point in the afternoon, Schefter received a phone call from top free-agent receiver Alshon Jeffery. The oft-injured star, who ended up signing with the Eagles for one year and $14 million, wanted to use Schefter to gauge the market for receivers. Schefter informed Jeffery of the numbers he had reported and some he had not yet reported.

“It’s all about the guarantee, Alshon,” Schefter told him. “It’s all about the guarantee. … Your average per year could be $100 million. It doesn’t matter. If they’re going to guarantee you the majority of the contract, that’s what you want.”

For those on the outside, watching Schefter on TV that day was an adventurous experience. He was seen constantly on his phone and running off sets. ESPN even created a “Schefter Cam.” But that was just a small part of his insane day.